


i don't know why (but dreaming's all i do)

by lotts (LottieAnna)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Hockey Families, Kissing, M/M, Superpowers, eventual telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LottieAnna/pseuds/lotts
Summary: “I’m not a superhero,” Mikey grumbles. “I can just, like, fly, or whatever.”“Don’t tell me you’ve never used your powers for good, McLeod,” Nate says.Mikey sighs, and then admits, “I got a kitten out of a tree, once.”(Also: five times Nate kissed Mikey as a bro thing, and one time they kissed, like, for real.)





	i don't know why (but dreaming's all i do)

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU FOUND THIS THROUGH GOOGLING, KNOW ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS STORY PERSONALLY, OR ARE MENTIONED YOURSELF: please, please click away. This is a work of fiction and nothing written in this story is true. Any accurate information used in this story is publicly available information about public figures, the rest is made up, 100%
> 
> Thank you to ali and ftc and tots and susie for lending their eyes to this fic I wrote as a kneejerk reaction to realizing that there is a severe lack of superhero superbuddies content. Title from the A*Teens. 
> 
> Spoilery warnings and bonus content in the endnotes!

**one.**

Mikey can fly.

Nate has known this for a while, but Mikey doesn’t, like, fly in front of the guys on the team, because they don’t know, except for Ryan and, well, Nate.

At first, Nate had quietly not believed him, but then Mikey’s mom makes some offhanded comment about how good it is that Mikey plays in Mississauga, because otherwise he’d have to stay on the ground the whole time, and Mikey goes red, for some reason. Probably just because his mom is talking about him, and it’s, like, a reflex.

“It would’ve been fine,” Mikey mumbles.

“Of course, sweetie,” his mom says. “But it’s worked out well, so I think, for Ryan–”

“Ryan can make his own choices,” Matt says.

That’s when Nate realizes he’s maybe witnessing a McLeod family spat, which is kind of rare.

Ryan isn’t at the table yet, still playing CoD in the basement, or whatever, but Nate feels like Ryan wouldn’t appreciate his mom and brothers talking about his OHL future while he’s not there, especially if Nate is. And Nate’s not, like, a mediator, or anything, but he feels like he could help the situation a little, at least. Mikey does not like fighting with his parents. Mikey does not like conflict in general, really.

“Do you end up… doing that a lot? Here?” he asks.

“What, flying?” Mikey says, and the other three McLeods seem to remember that Nate is at the table, and that it’s maybe-impolite to bicker in front of him, because for all the time he spends here, he’s not technically family.

“Yeah, that,” Nate says.

“He’s never shown you?” Mikey’s dad says, looking mildly surprised. “Michael, that’s rude.”

Mikey makes a _what the fuck_ face, and does the accompanying hand gesture. “How is that rude?”

“You should show him,” Mikey’s mom says. “If he wants to, of course.”

“Oh my god,” Mikey says, and he turns red again, because he’s kind of a brat. Nate doesn’t hold it against him; parents can be weird.

Matt laughs, and Ryan finally makes his appearance. “What’s so funny?” he asks.

“We were just talking about flying shit,” Mikey says into his food.

“Language,” Mikey’s dad says.

“Sorry. Flying _stuff.”_

“He’s never shown off for Nate,” Matt says, and Ryan smirks at that.

“Really?” he says. “I’m surprised. He’s cocky as shi – stuff.”

Mikey’s dad does this sigh, like he’s very mildly long-suffering. It’s nice, being around the McLeods; not that Nate’s billets aren’t great, but, like, it’s different. Nate doesn’t have to feel weird feeling like a guest here.

“I’m not cocky, I’m _good._ ”

“Can you be good at flying?” Nate asks. “Like, what are the skills?”

The McLeods exchange a glance. “It’s… hard to explain,” Mikey says. “I can – uh, show you, if you want. After dinner.”

“Wear a helmet,” Mikey’s mom says.

“Yes, mom,” Mikey says dutifully, and then he turns to Nate and shakes his head slightly as his mom makes a pleased noise and turns her focus back to the spaghetti in front of her. Nate smiles at him, which gets Mikey to smile back, which is awesome, because smiling Mikey is the best.

 

They go out to the yard after dinner, Nate trailing behind Mikey, who didn’t even take his helmet with him.

“Is this safe, when it’s dark out?” Nate asks.

Mikey gives him a look. “It’s not like I’m gonna get hit by a car.”

“Fair enough,” Nate says. “So, do you just–” and he’s gonna finish his sentence, except then, Mikey is, like, levitating.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Mikey says. He’s got this cocky grin on, and he’s just floating higher, his hands in his pockets. He looks down at Nate and shrugs. “It’s not like there’s a process, or whatever.”

“No faith, trust, and pixie dust?”

“Nah, that’s just some fantasy bullshit.”

 _"Flying_ is some fantasy bullshit,” Nate points out.

“I mean, I guess?” Mikey says, like he doesn’t really believe it, but can’t be bothered to think of a comeback.

“So when you say fly, is this it? Just, like, floating?”

Mikey scoffs. “No. I can do tricks and shit.” Then, he jets up real fast and does a backflip, like, the kind he can do in the pool, except he’s midair.

“Shit,” Nate says, impressed and kind of mesmerized. It’s one thing to know someone can fly, but another entirely to watch them do midair acrobatics, and if he’s being completely honest with himself, it’s, like, weirdly hot.

“Ryan and Matt can’t do that one. They’re jealous.” Mikey sounds so proud, and Nate can’t help but smile at it.

“Jeez. Why do you bother with walking, dude?” Nate asks. “Like, not in public, obviously, but if you’re running late? Or would people notice?”

Mikey floats down to the ground. “They wouldn’t,” he says. “But it’s not that much faster, and there’s always a whole thing about where to land. And like, my hair gets all weird, with the wind and shit.”

“I feel like it’s mostly the hair thing,” Nate says.

Mikey laughs a little at that. In the patio light, Nate can see that his face is red, and a little shiny. “Honestly, that’s what my mom is like.”

“She can too?” Nate is surprised. Mikey hadn’t mentioned that it was, like, genetic, though the Ryan thing earlier should’ve maybe tipped him off.

Mikey nods. “Yeah. I mean, it’s apparently a thing, on her side of the family.”

Nate nods. “Is it hard?”

“What, flying?” Mikey asks.

Nate rolls his eyes. “No, doing a cartwheel.”

Mikey doesn’t respond to the sarcasm. “I mean, it takes practice, y’know? And like – it’s effort. Physically. It’s not just magical floatiness, or whatever. Staying up takes work.”

“Do you like, train?” Nate asks.

Mikey nods. “I mean, not as much now, but sometimes. Carrying weights and shit.”

“You lift, bro?” Nate teases, and Mikey does his blushy-smile, the one where he looks down at his feet.

“Making all kind of gains, yo,” he says, and then, “I could probably carry you.”

“No way,” Nate says.

“Totally,” Mikey says.

“Fine, then do it,” Nate says. “I dare you.”

Mikey gets that competitive look he sometimes does, and then he steps back and says, “Jump into my arms, like–” he holds his arms out in front of him, forearms up. “Y’know.”

“Like… bridal style?” Nate asks.

Mikey blushes, but rolls his eyes. “It’s easier than piggyback.”

“Alright,” Nate says. “Should I–”

“You’ve gotta, like, jump,” Mikey says. “Get a running start.”

“Are you gonna drop me?” Nate asks.

“No,” Mikey says, and he sounds sure.

Nate takes a few steps back, and Mikey holds out his arms, and then nods. Because they’re them, and really great at things together, Nate lands in Mikey’s arms on the first try. They spin, because momentum, and Nate laughs, the arm around Mikey’s shoulder instinctively tightening, and then it feels like Mikey’s gripping him a little tighter, for a second, and then Nate realizes that it’s because they’re going up.

They stop spinning, and Nate looks down.

Mikey’s feet are, like, maybe six inches off the ground, but they’re still off the ground, so Nate instinctively tightens his hold on Mikey, and brings his free hand to Mikey’s chest. He can kind of feel Mikey’s heartbeat, and it’s going really fucking fast, and Nate feels weird knowing that, but he doesn’t want to move his hand away.

“You good?” Mikey says.

“Yeah,” Nate says. “Just – flying. Shit.”

“We can go down.” Mikey sounds like he’s trying to be soothing, and Nate might be mildly terrified, but he really doesn’t want Mikey to know that, for some reason, so he shakes his head.

“No, I’m good, just needed a few seconds to adjust,” he says, and then a gust of wind blows, and they drift, a little, and Nate has to work very hard to keep his breathing steady.

Ryan chooses that moment to walk into the yard. “Why am I not surprised,” he says flatly.

“Shut up,” Mikey says.

“Enjoying being Lois Lane, Nate?”

Nate is momentarily very confused, until he remembers that Mikey’s literally flying and carrying him in his arms.

“Eh, kind of a poor man’s Superman,” Nate replies.

“Hey,” Mikey says, indignant, and they return to solid ground as Nate laughs.

“Just kidding,” Nate says, and then he looks up at Mikey, and in profile, he does look kind of heroic. Then, for some reason, Nate presses a kiss to Mikey’s cheek.

Mikey doesn’t drop him, but he does sort of stumble backwards.

“Smooth,” Ryan deadpans. “I’m going back inside.”

“Whatever,” Mikey says, and Nate figures he should probably get back on his own two feet, because Mikey’s looking very pointedly away from Nate, and Nate’s starting to feel weird. He crawls out of Mikey’s arms as he hears the back door to the McLeod house slam shut, which means that it’s just Nate and Mikey.

“Uh, sorry,” Nate says, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean–”

“No, it’s fine, I was just – surprised.” Mikey is blushing and staring at his feet. “It’s all good.”

“Alright,” Nate says, and he wants to say something more, and he feels like Mikey does too, but neither of them actually does, so.

 

**two.**

Mikey is, apparently, trying to learn how to fly upside-down, because that’s a thing.

“So,” Nate says to Mikey, who is currently doing a handstand on the back of a park bench. “Do you just have some freakish core strength, or are you using your flying muscles right now?”

“Like, on my legs,” Mikey says. “Those are flying. The rest of me isn’t.”

It’s late at night, and Nate’s supposed to be on the lookout for cops, but Mikey’s shirt is sort of falling down, and Nate thinks Mikey’s stomach makes for a much more compelling visual than the empty streets of Lorne Park.

“Can you do a handstand without flying?” Nate asks.

Yeah,” Mikey says. “Can’t you?”

“I… don’t think so?” Nate says. “I dunno, I’ve never tried.”

“Why not?”

“Why would I?”

“Fair point,” Mikey says, and Nate guesses he would be shrugging if he could. “Alright, one sec, I’m gonna try something.”

“You got it,” Nate says, and he watches as Mikey’s body sort of realigns, a bit, and then he pushes himself up.

He crosses his arms, but his legs are rigid and pointed upwards, and he looks like he’s concentrating really, really hard. He stays like that for a few seconds, and then he does whatever the midair equivalent of falling over is, and he lands upright again, still flying.

“That was longer than last time,” Mikey says, kind of out of breath. “It’s really hard. Like, I can’t find my center of gravity.”

Nate stares pointedly at the space between Mikey’s feet and the ground. “Is gravity really a concern of yours?”

“I don’t know the physics behind it, man,” Mikey says, coming down.

“The physics of flying,” Nate says. “Weird.”

Mikey shrugs, and there are a few seconds of silence before Mikey says, “Thanks.”

“Huh?” Nate says. “What for?”

“For lookout duty. And, uh, being cool about the whole flying thing.”

“No worries,” Nate says.

“I would’ve asked Ryan, but – I dunno, I didn’t feel like bothering him.”

Mikey hasn’t really talked about the Ryan stuff, but Nate’s been, like, aware of it. “How is he?”

“I mean – he’s second guessing it, I guess? With all the picks and shit.”

“Yeah,” Nate says.

“Sorry,” Mikey says.

“No, don’t be,” Nate says. “I mean – it’s cool. Talk about shit, if you gotta.”

Mikey leans against the back of the bench, biting his lip. “I mean – there’s also the whole, like, flying thing? And he wouldn’t be able to, if he was somewhere else.”

“Ah,” Nate says. “I mean – he’ll be good, here.”

“He will be,” Mikey agrees. “He’s just nervous, I guess? And the fact that it’s this whole thing.”

“Yeah,” Nate says. “It’ll be cool playing with him, though.”

Mikey smiles, this kind of dopey grin, and Nate knows he’s said the right thing. “I’m gonna give him so much shit.”

“As you should,” Nate says. “Brotherly duty.”

“Yeah,” Mikey says, and then, “I’m gonna try the handstand thing again.”

Nate shrugs. “You do you.”

Mikey does, and Nate watches, again, because he wants to see if Mikey’s shirt does that thing again, and it does; this time, though, when Mikey comes down, he hits his shin on the back of the bench.

“Fuck,” Mikey says, wincing.

“You good?” Nate asks.

“Yeah,” Mikey says. “Just banged it, nothing serious.”

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?” Nate says.

It’s supposed to be a joke, and Nate thinks he makes it sound like one, except then Mikey is staring at him, and his face is, like, weird, the kind of thing that makes Nate want to look away, but also, really _not_ want to look away.

“If you want,” Mikey says, light and serious at once.

Nate looks up at him, and he honestly doesn’t know what to say, but Mikey’s being weird, and that’s making Nate feel weird, and he figures he has a license to do something weird, so he presses a kiss to the side of Mikey’s shin. “Feel better?” he asks, his voice bizarrely even.

“It was the other leg,” Mikey says, and he’s officially indecipherable now.

Nate gulps, and hopes Mikey’s too high up to notice. He presses an identical kiss to Mikey’s other leg, and thinks that he really needs to get this under control, because kissing Mikey’s leg isn’t, like, a thing.

Not that Nate knows exactly what he needs to get under control. Maybe, like, his heart, because that shit is beating way too fast right now.

“Thanks,” Mikey says, and he comes down so that he’s toe-to-toe with Nate. “You fixed it.”

“I do my best,” Nate says. He’s staring at Mikey now, but at least Mikey’s staring back, so it’s, like, mutual staring.

“Can I–” Mikey says, and for a second, Nate thinks that he’s going to, like – he doesn’t even know, but he’s half-relieved and half-disappointed when Mikey pulls him in for a hug. It’s a tight one, though, and Nate rubs his hand up and down Mikey’s back on instinct.

“You’re my favorite,” Mikey murmurs. “Just – sorry I’m being all weird and, like, emotional.”

“Hey, no, you’re good,” Nate says, keeping his voice low, because his mouth is right next to Mikey’s ear.

Mikey doesn’t say anything in response, just puts his full body weight on Nate, and Nate lets him, partially because Mikey seems like he needs it, but mostly because Nate wants to.

 

**three.**

They’re superbuddies, now. Or, well, #superbuddies, technically.

Nate really tries to not laugh at the name, but come the fuck on, it’s hilarious.

“I’m not a superhero,” Mikey grumbles. “I can just, like, fly, or whatever.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never used your powers for good, McLeod,” Nate says.

Mikey sighs, and then admits, “I got a kitten out of a tree, once.”

Nate’s face probably, like, lights up, and Mikey seems to accept that he is going to be chirped within an inch of his life for this.

“You’re an actual hero,” Nate says. “We need to get you a cape.”

“No capes,” Mikey says, and it’s a reference.

“No capes,” Nate agrees.

Mikey slumps against Nate’s side, and Nate lifts his arm so Mikey can get underneath it.

“Of course you saved a fucking kitten,” Nate says. “Of course you did.”

Mikey looks up at Nate with this small, amused smile, and just shrugs, like he knows, except Nate doesn’t really think he does. Nate doesn’t really think he can, honestly, because the thing is that Mikey is just… a good guy. He has this whole half boyband, half boy scout thing going, and it’s really fucking cute, and makes it 100% on-brand for him to rescue a kitten from a tree.

Nate can’t really explain this to Mikey, but Mikey’s still smiling up at Nate, so Nate just presses a kiss to his hair.

It’s not even weird, too, which is great.

Or – well, they don’t talk about it, but still. It not being weird is a great starting point.

 

**four.**

McLeods fly, and Stromes have X-Ray vision, apparently.

Nate thinks back to scouting reports about on-ice vision and their uncanny ability to find open teammates. “Makes sense,” he says.

“We usually don’t let people use shit during road hockey games, but, like, we have a designated game for that.”

“You guys take road hockey too seriously,” Nate says.

“Yep,” Mikey says, unapologetic.

 

Dylan Strome and Nate are, theoretically, nemeses, because Nate’s definitely taken over the whole “brother-who-isn’t-actually-a-brother” role that used to be Dylan’s. In practice, though, Dylan is kind of a chill guy, who doesn’t seem threatened by Nate, and Nate sort of gets why. Dylan’s friendship with Mikey is nothing like Nate’s.

So: Mikey is upside-down, hanging off a tree branch.

“Your X-Ray vision shit is lame,” Mikey calls down.

“What are you even saying?” Dylan calls back. “You didn’t fly up there, you just climbed.”

“But if I fall, I’ll be fine,” Mikey says. “Can your X-Ray vision do that?”

“My X-Ray vision can tell me if that branch is gonna break early,” Dylan says.

“That’s kind of a downer,” Nate says, and Dylan rolls his eyes.

“It’s not close to breaking, relax,” Dylan says.

“Good,” Nate says, and then he stands up from the Strome lawn chair he’s been occupying for the last twenty minutes and walks over to the tree Mikey’s hanging off of, because he figures that if Mikey falls and can’t fly in time, he should have someone there to catch him.

Also, Mikey’s shirt has completely fallen down, and Nate wants to look without worrying if Dylan’s going to notice.

Dylan can get weird about Mikey, sometimes, and, in his defense, Nate also gets weird about Mikey. It’s just because Dylan is Dylan, and feels the need to look after everyone all the time, and Mikey is Mikey, and wears his heart on his sleeve, kind of, in his low-key Mikey McLeod way, and Nate is Nate, and he wants Mikey to be happy, always.

It’s honestly a pretty good combination.

“So,” Nate says, leaning against the trunk of the tree and turning to Dylan, “can you be good at X-Ray vision the same way Mikey’s good at flying?”

Dylan raises an eyebrow. “I mean, you can’t, like, improve it, but some people just see better.”

“Can you get glasses to make it better?” Nate asks.

Mikey, for some reason, finds this hilarious, and laughs so hard the branch shakes a bit. This makes Nate nervous, so he walks a little closer to Mikey, just in case.

“You can’t,” Dylan says, but Nate isn’t really paying him that much attention right now.

“Stop being so nervous,” Mikey says, too relaxed as usual. “If I fall, I can fly.”

“What if the blood rushes to your head, and you get too dizzy to fly?” Nate asks.

Mikey considers that for a second. “I dunno,” he says, and then he swings around until he’s upright, floating near the branch he’d just been hanging from.

“Hey, Clouder, can you fly, or something?” Dylan says, sarcastic.

“Go suck otter dick,” Mikey says.

“Go suck… fish dick,” Dylan says, and then he wrinkles his nose. “Wait, ew.”

“Do fish even have dicks?” Nate asks.

“I have literally no idea, ask google,” Dylan says, and then he turns his attention back to his phone, probably texting McDavid.

“Alex would know,” Nate says. “This feels like something he would know. He’s a man of the sea at heart, y’know?”

“Oh my god, he’s not a mermaid,” Mikey says, rolling his eyes, because this is an argument they’ve had before.

“He so is,” Nate says.

Dylan looks up. “Nater’s right, he is. All of them are. The family, I mean.”

Nate and Mikey turn to him, and Mikey floats down to the ground. “What,” he says, flatly.

“Yeah. Marns was telling me about it,” Dylan says. “Or – they don’t grow tails? They do breathe underwater, though. It’s not really a secret.”

“Alex didn’t tell us about it,” Mikey says.

“Probably didn’t want to hear your dumb fish jokes,” Dylan says.

“They would have been great fish jokes,” Nate says. “Top notch shit.”

“We should text him some later, to make up for lost time,” Mikey says, and then he shoots up, hooks his legs over a lower branch of the tree, and flops back upside-down.

“Oh my god, this one’s even worse,” Nate complains. Mikey’s face is about level with his.

“Why? It’s lower.”

“Yeah, if you fall, there’s less time for you to, like, fly,” Nate says. “You’re gonna break your neck.”

“You sound like my mom,” Mikey complains.

“Your mom would be so much more chill than Bas is right now,” Dylan says.

“I don’t want him to die, sue me,” Nate says.

“If it was gonna happen, it would’ve happened,” Dylan says. “He’s upside down all the time.”

“I know, I already have grey hairs over it,” Nate says.

“You do not,” Mikey scoffs, which, duh, but he reaches a hand out in Nate’s direction, and Nate moves so that Mikey can start running his fingers through Nate’s hair, combing methodically. It’s part of the bit, but it still feels nice, so Nate doesn’t protest.

“Is this like that thing in Spiderman? Like, with Nate as MJ?” Dylan asks.

Nate’s about to tell Dylan to fuck off, or something, except Mikey speaks before him, and says, “What thing in Spiderman?”

“Like, when they kiss, but, like, upside down?” Dylan says. “You know, it’s like, a thing.”

“How do people kiss upside down?” Mikey asks, because apparently that is a more pressing matter than asking Dylan why he’s talking about Nate and Mikey kissing.

“Like–” Nate says, and he does some weird hand gesture that’s supposed to mimic it.

Apparently, he doesn’t do a great job, because Mikey just looks even more confused. “What?”

“You’ve seen the movie before,” Dylan says. “How do you not know what we’re talking about?”

“I guess I don’t remember that scene,” Mikey says, and Nate briefly wonders if he’s just playing dumb, but he doesn’t have any clue why Mikey would play dumb about this.

“Oh, come on,” Dylan says.

“It’s – it’s just like–” Nate says, and then, because Mikey’s face is right there, he just… shows him.

With his mouth. And Mikey’s mouth. Together. Like, kissing.

It’s only for a second, and like, not even that, but it’s still – Nate’s mouth, and Mikey’s mouth, and Nate _cannot believe he just did that_.

He tries to play it cool, though, so he doesn’t avoid looking at Mikey, but he doesn’t, like, stare at him. He shrugs, and it probably looks nonsensical, and he knows his face is probably kinda red, because his heart is acting like he just drank 8 espresso shots then went bungee jumping, or whatever, and he has this feeling in his stomach, like–

“Oh, _that_ scene,” Mikey says, and it really doesn’t help Nate that he dismounts from the branch without flying, just does some impressive acrobatics and jumps down. “Nah, it’s nothing like that, Nate’s not a redhead.” He turns and gives Nate a smile that’s both awesome and kind of disorienting, and Nate is trying to remember how to form words when he hears Dylan sigh.

“You guys are really fucking weird,” he says.

Nate is inclined to agree, but just shrugs again, and that’s the last mention of it for the rest of the afternoon.

It’s not until Nate’s alone in his car that he realizes he could’ve just shown Mikey a fucking picture.

 

**five.**

It’s not really weird, after that, but Nate starts to feel weird, especially when he looks at Mikey, because he kissed him on the mouth, and Mikey’s smile makes him feel warm and nervous and happy, and he wants to touch Mikey, like, all the time. It’s weird, and he doesn’t really have a grasp on any of it, so he doesn’t really do anything about it.

But, when he hears Mikey’s voice say _kiss me,_ he just… does.

Mikey stares at him. “Did you just kiss me?” he asks.

Nate blinks. “Didn’t you ask me to?”

“No,” Mikey says. “I mean, not out loud.”

“What do you mean, not out loud? How would I know if it wasn’t out loud?” Nate asks.

“I don’t fucking know,” Mikey says. Nate stares at him, and he hears Mikey’s voice saying _what the fuck he just kissed me what the fuck why did he kiss me what the fuck_ in a low, quick loop, but Mikey’s mouth isn’t moving.  

“Hey, dude,” Nate says. “Do me a favor and think of a number–”

 _7, what the–_ Mikey’s voice says.

“Not seven. Between one and five,” Nate says.

_Not 3, 4, wait, why did he say not 7, what does he–_

“Four?” Nate asks, and Mikey looks confused and vaguely terrified, which, honestly, is fair.

“How did you–” Mikey starts, and then he cuts himself off, and Nate hears him go, _can Nate read my mind oh god how long what does he know, don’t think about Nate–_

“I think I can maybe, uh, read minds?” Nate says.

“Oh,” Mikey says, and then he gets up off the bed, walks to the bathroom, and slams the door.

Nate doesn’t really know what to do, so he walks over and knocks. “Is everything okay?”

“Are you being serious?” Mikey says. “Because this is a really shitty prank, if you’re not.”

“I don’t know. I mean, I’m not trying to fuck with you,” Nate says.

“Prove it,” Mikey says. “What am I thinking right now?”

Nate tries hard to focus on figuring out what’s going on in Mikey’s head, but he doesn’t get a read on it. “I can’t anymore. Maybe it’s a proximity thing?”

“Okay, well,” Mikey says, and there’s some shuffling, and then he opens the door. He looks at his feet, but as soon as Nate’s eyes land on him, Nate immediately hears, _Dylan didn’t know steelhead trout were a thing until last week, Dylan didn’t know–_

“Wait, what did he think steelheads were?” Nate asks. “Stromer, I mean.”

“He said he hadn’t thought about it,” Mikey says. “Holy shit, you can actually read minds.”

“I guess? Shit, I thought that getting powers was just a hockey dynasty thing, man.”

Mikey shrugs. “Guess not?”

“Oh my god,” Nate says.

“So, uh, can you, like, control it?”

“Yeah,” Nate says. “I guess. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now.”

“Good. I’m thinking that this is really fucking weird, and, uh, wondering if you – if you heard anything, in my head, by accident.”

“I didn’t,” Nate says honestly. “I mean, I heard – I didn’t hear anything incriminating, or whatever.”

Mikey nods, processing. “Alright. Uh, in case you do – I mean, I don’t want things to be weird, just, if you hear something in my head.”

“It’s chill,” Nate says. “I mean, I – people just, like, think things, sometimes, and it doesn’t – y’know.”

Mikey nods, and exhales in this weird almost-sigh. “Yeah, right.”

“I won’t read your mind,” Nate says. “Like, ever. Not even in a game.”

“Alright,” Mikey says. “Thanks.”

“I just – I don’t want you to feel weird?” Nate says.

Mikey startles at that, a little. “What? I don’t feel weird. Do you feel weird?”

“No,” Nate says, except it’s a lie, because he can read minds, and also because he kissed Mikey.

But, whatever, he doesn’t – he and Mikey have something good together, even if there are weird kissing thoughts happening.

He’s really glad Mikey can’t read minds, though, because he can’t stop thinking about the way Mikey’s lips had felt, or how they’d opened just a little, like Mikey had been about to kiss him back.

Honestly, he’s more preoccupied with that than the mind reading thing, which is saying a lot.

 

So: Nate doesn’t read Mikey’s mind, but he occasionally gets snippets from other people, because he’s kind of curious, even if he does feel guilty about it.

Mostly, people think about really boring shit, but Nate hears mildly interesting things, sometimes. One day, at the gym, he forgets his headphones, so he listens to other people listen to music.

 

“Guess we really are superbuddies,” Nate says to Mikey. “Now that I have powers too.”

Mikey rolls his eyes, and Nate doesn’t need to read his mind to know that he loves Nate’s dumb jokes.

Then, he smiles, and Nate is thinking about kissing Mikey again, and Nate doesn’t really listen in on other people’s thoughts that much, but most of them don’t seem to spend as much time thinking about kissing their best friends as Nate does.

 

**plus one.**

Nate gets to participate in the special Strome-McLeod ball hockey game, where they can use their powers and shit, so he’s reading everyone’s minds.

 _Don’t actually pass to me,_ Matt Strome thinks.

 _I don’t think Mikey’s gonna get open in time,_ Ryan thinks.

 _Please pass to me because I’m open and they’ll never expect it and I’m in love with you,_ Mikey thinks.

He passes to Mikey, who touches the ground as he slams it into the net.

Nate just kind of stares.

 

So, like, Nate is prepared to be fine moving on from it, but then Mikey closes the door to his bedroom and says, “Uh, we should talk about that.”

“Talk about what?”

“The thing I thought right before I scored?” Mikey says. He looks nervous.

“Oh,” Nate says. “That.”

“Yeah,” Mikey says.

Nate just nods, and neither of them says anything for a second. Mikey wanders over and sits on the edge of his bed and puts his head in his hands, and Nate just sort of stands there, not knowing what to do with his arms and legs.

“So–” Nate starts, but Mikey cuts him off.

“Alright, so, I have something I want to say, but I don’t know how to, like, put it in words? So can you just read my mind for a second and ignore the stuff that’s weird?”

“Are you sure?” Nate asks.

“Yeah, why not,” Mikey says. “Honestly, I don’t think it can be more embarrassing than saying it.”  

“Okay,” Nate says.

“Yeah. So, uh, go?”

“What, right now?”

“Yeah,” Mikey says, and he flops back dramatically and puts an arm over his eyes.

Nate sits down next to him on the edge of the bed and, hesitantly, begins to read him.

_–in love with you for a while? Not like love-love but in the “wow I’m in love with Nater” way where I love you and really want to date you and you kept kissing me and I really liked that but it’s cool if that just means you wanna kiss except I definitely don’t just wanna kiss because I also want to be your boyfriend or whatever and everyone guessed that I was in love with you and you probably guessed that too because I can’t stop thinking about kissing you and also having sex with you and oh god I want to not think about sex with you that would be weird uh I also might want to marry you wait no fuck that’s worse fucking shit fuck uh–_

Nate tunes out, and he waits a second before he says, “I stopped reading.”

Mikey groans. “I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea.”

“I mean,” Nate says. “It was… efficient?”

“Look, I know that was a lot, and I’m – I don’t actually think that we should move in together and adopt a dog, like, today.”

“I hadn’t heard that part,” Nate says.

“Great,” Mikey says, and he sits up, fixing his eyes on the ceiling. “Well, anyway – I’m not saying I, like, think we should – I just really, really like you.”

“You like me,” Nate repeats, kind of absently.

“I mean, I don’t – it’s cool if you don’t. I’d need a few days, or weeks, or whatever, but I could get over it. I just – y’know, it’s kind of… a lot. I mean, you heard it.”

Nate just nods. “You _like_ me.”

“Yes,” Mikey says. “I mean, just – let me down easy, or whatever, alright?”

Nate blinks, and then he shakes his head. “What? No, I just – I don’t… I don’t know.”

Mikey squeezes his eyes shut. “I don’t want you to, like, make yourself like me back, or whatever. I’m – I’m your friend, y’know? That matters more. Like, I promise, I’ll be fine.”

“But I – can I read your mind again?” Nate asks.

Mikey sighs. “Sure, why not.”  

Nate does.

_–what you expect to find here? I’m just trying not to think anything too embarrassing but this is kind of weird because you haven’t told me no and I feel like we’re heading towards you turning me down except you haven’t done it yet and I can’t let go if you don’t actually let me go and I just need you to say something–_

“Wait, you’re asking me out,” Nate says, the realization hitting him.

Mikey gives him a look, which Nate supposes is fair. “Literally what we’ve been talking about for the past five minutes, dude.”

“Sorry, took me a second,” Nate says. “Just – you like me, and you’re asking me out.”

“Yes, we’ve established that,” Mikey says. “Jesus, you’re dumb.”

“But you like me anyway,” Nate says in disbelief. “You want to date me.”

“Because I apparently have awful taste,” Mikey says.

“You were afraid that I’d say no,” Nate says, and then – “Wait, you thought that I’d say no? Dude, what the fuck?”

Mikey blinks. “You’re… not?”

“What? No, of course not,” Nate says.

“So then what are you saying?”

“Yes? I mean – yeah. Yes.”

“Yes?” Mikey says, and he sounds genuinely confused. “Wait, what?”

“I’m obsessed with you,” Nate says. “Wait, no, that sounds weird. I mean, I always want to kiss you and also like, hang out with you forever, and just– I want to get all up on that, both physically and emotionally? And I can’t believe I just said that out loud, but, yeah, whatever.”

Mikey’s smiling, now, which is really great. “What are you saying, dude?”

“I don’t know, at this point it’s probably less embarrassing to just say I’m in love with you,” Nate says.

Mikey’s smile widens, and then he bites his lip, and Nate is about to say something else, probably about how he’s pretty sure Mikey’s smile should count as a superpower on par with the flying thing, but Mikey spares him the humiliation by kissing him instead.

It is, as Nate would expect, better than any other kiss in human history, probably. In fact, Nate firmly believes that it is more enjoyable than scientists previously thought kisses could be, by the sheer fact that it is Nate and Mikey, and they are kissing. Kissing Mikey is probably the closest Nate has ever come to believing in magic, and that’s saying something, because he can read minds, and his best friend – or, oh, wow, his _boyfriend –_ can fly.

“You have a really perfect mouth,” Nate says, when he finally pulls away, because his lips are getting chapped.

Mikey laughs. “Are you just saying weird shit to make up for the fact that you heard all the crap I was thinking?”

“No, I think I’m just, like, stupidly in love with you? But I like your explanation better, it makes me sound really generous, or whatever,” Nate says.

“You’re lucky you’re cute, because you’re really weird,” Mikey says.

“I bet that’s not true,” Nate says. “I bet if I read your mind right now you’d be thinking about how great I am.”

Mikey tilts his head to one side and shrugs a little. “Honestly, yeah.”

Nate smiles, and then pulls Mikey in to kiss him some more.

**Author's Note:**

>  **trigger warnings:**  
>  -appearances by other irl family members  
> -superpowers we see include x-ray vision, breathing underwater, flight, and telepathy  
> -a character accidentally reads another character's mind, but does not read that character's mind without his consent beyond that. he does not react well to the thought of having his mind read.  
> -same character mentions reading other people's minds in passing.  
> -two instances of consensual mind reading, instigated by the character whose mind is being read.  
> -please let me know if there is anything else you feel should be tagged!
> 
>  
> 
> **bonus stuff:**  
>  -picture: three boys, aged 9, 7, and 6, having just seen peter pan, all flying around their living room and crowing, much to their parents' dismay.  
> -"mikey can fly" is something nate said in an interview once, which kinda jumpstarted this fic.  
> -mikey: i wanna get over this crush on my best friend.  
> mikey @ mikey: constantly show off ur sick flying skills/abs in front of him.  
> -mikey: i wanna confess my love but keep it low key and chill  
> mikey @ mikey: have him read ur mind  
> -alex and willy nylander are mermaids! nate called it, but he expected them to have actual tails and was like, kinda disappointed.  
> -a smutty coda to this would be "a guide to safe sex when you can fly and don't want to wear a helmet." there are a few close calls. the telepathy thing is invoked, too.  
> -"man of steel..........heads" jokes abound  
> -also: nate will sometimes point at random clouds in the sky and say "wait, mikey, is that one of your brothers?" or sometimes if he's with ryan or dylan or something he'll just look up at the sky and say "wait i think i see my boyfriend" in reference to a particular cloud, because he's _terrible_  
>  -nate has to be looking at someone to read their mind. he eventually figures out he can read animal minds, which is incredibly fun when he's walking past a dog park, because they're all just. so happy.
> 
> come find me on [tumblr!](https://lottswrites.tumblr.com/)


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